Center City Lanes Closures for Bike Island Test

In an attempt to study how Philadelphia's main arteries can be made more pedestrian friendly, the city will be closing the left-most lane of traffic on Market Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard between 15th and 20th streets for the next two weeks.  The Center City District proposed the study about two years ago; that these two arterials could be made more pedestrian and bike friendly without significantly impacting traffic.

Each street will have three lanes open to traffic, and no parking spots will be lost in the experiment.  This proposal was fueled by the need to improve the public environment around very wide, auto-dominated streets.  these streets lack the first-floor businesses and amenities of other Center City arterial streets like Chestnut and Walnut.

Discussions with building owners along the corridor revealed there was a strong interest in adding a dedicated bike lane for Center City professionals who bike to work.  The bike lane would go in the closed lanes, which, if this test is successful, would be separated from traffic by a landscaped buffer or a raised hard surface, as well as a row of parked cars.

The closures are the latest in a series of moves by the city to make new use of street space, which have included a proposed pedestrian plaza program, as well as the installation of parklets in University City